Lewis Hamilton threw a potential spanner in the works on Friday by setting the fastest practice time in Abu Dhabi.

Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso have been largely billed as the 2010 championship favourites for the season finale, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel – the Interlagos winner – tipped to play a supporting role.

But it was McLaren’s Hamilton, who is also in with a narrow shout of the title, who was quickest in practice when the sun set on Friday night.

The Briton was superb at the circuit in 2009, and he was quicker late on Friday than championship challengers Vettel, Alonso and Webber respectively.

He had said on Thursday: “I have nothing to lose. The guys in front of me have everything to lose, they have got generally faster cars than me but that doesn’t mean that I cannot fight for a win.”

Indeed, winning on Sunday – with the main contenders basically failing to score – is Hamilton’s only real chance of securing a second drivers’ title on Sunday.

But his pace will also be a headache for the Red Bulls, who are more closely chasing points leader Alonso’s Ferrari.

Should Hamilton win in Abu Dhabi, even with Webber in second place, Spaniard Alonso would only need a minor placing to be world champion.

“A Hamilton victory puts Fernando Alonso in prime position for the championship,” agreed former HRT driver Karun Chandhok on BBC radio.

Paul Ricard will host Pirelli’s next formula one tyre development test.

After the Italian marque began its 2011 programme with a shakedown at Mugello last week, it was reported that test driver Nick Heidfeld and last year’s Toyota car are now en route to Monza.

But according to Italy’s 422race.com, the high speed venue of the Italian grand prix will actually host the third test, with Paul Ricard’s configurable test track in Le Castellet to in fact be Pirelli’s host next week.

The Monza test will reportedly take place on 21 and 22 September; a little more than a week after the Italian grand prix there.

It is expected that Jerez in Spain will also host a closed Pirelli test, before all the teams run the tyres for the first time in Abu Dhabi after November’s season finale.

422race.com said that at Mugello last week, observers outside the Italian venue reported that Heidfeld recorded more than 100 laps on both test days.

Pirelli will soon name its formula one test driver.

Reports have linked Mercedes reserve driver Nick Heidfeld with the role of helping the Italian marque to prepare for the 2011 season.

It is believed Pirelli will conduct six tests before all the teams try the tyres for the first time in Abu Dhabi in mid November.

A spokesman for Pirelli’s F1 programme said this pre-Abu Dhabi testing, reportedly with a 2009 Toyota car, will not begin until “about September”.

“At the moment, we have produced the first scale models of the tyres, at 50 per cent size, for the purposes of wind tunnel testing,” he said.

“The four compounds are currently being worked upon, with the prototypes scheduled to come out next month.

“There was a test that took place at Paul Ricard in France recently, but that was for GP2 tyres.  There, we completed more than 120 laps with no problems.”

As for a driver for the F1 tests, the spokesman said an announcement can be expected “either next week or the week after”.

He said “two permanent test drivers” will be appointed, “one for F1 and one for GP2″.

“Details of the F1 car we will be testing with” will also be provided, the Pirelli spokesman added.